• Dr. Ramakrishna Mulukutla proudly showed off his PhD in geospatial information sciences from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences to his family and friends.

Surrounded by family and friends, 65 doctoral graduates capped their academic journeys at The University of Texas at Dallas this month. One by one, they walked across the stage in the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building Lecture Hall on Aug. 9 and received their doctoral degrees after years of commitment, dedication and hard work. The hoods were placed over each graduate’s head by a faculty mentor or another mentor with a doctoral degree. UT Dallas offers 30 PhD programs and one professional doctorate program.

The graduates represented six of the University’s eight schools: four from the School of Arts and Humanities; three from the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences; 12 from the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences; seven from the Naveen Jindal School of Management; and 16 from the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science had the most graduates, with 23 students getting their PhDs.

After opening remarks by UT Dallas President Richard C. Benson, Dr. Alex Piquero, Ashbel Smith Professor of criminology and associate dean of graduate programs in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, delivered the ceremony’s address. Piquero congratulated the graduates on their hard work and shared a story about his own career trajectory. He also advised them to work hard, embrace new things and remain true to their moral compass.